"He left! He got tired after playing just now and left. He probably went home. Was it a joke when he said he didn’t make a phone call? Maybe his phone ran out of battery. He’s not here, you don’t need to spend your money. You should head back; he should catch a ride home soon."

Although these words were a bit far-fetched, they were logically presented. However, in Li Yan’s eyes, this person was making up a story on the spot and was the most cunning of the four people here, including the doorman downstairs.

Since the person is cunning and unreliable, their words are, of course, unreliable as well.

"Did he really leave?"

"Yes, really, and he might not have gone far yet. Why don’t you look around nearby? Perhaps you’ll find him." The person said sincerely.

Li Yan looked at him, but through the corner of his eye, he noticed the suspicious and confused looks of the others, as if they didn’t understand why he would say such a thing.

This made him instantly realize that this person was suspicious of his identity!

Either they were mistaking him for someone from the crime underworld or a police officer. Upon hearing that he just wanted to take Huang Feng away, they decided to give up. If he were someone from the underworld, they might give face and let him go, but if he were a cop? Admitting it might become evidence!

So, this person was merely trying to trick Li Yan into leaving, intending to release Huang Feng immediately afterward. There might be some loss, but it wouldn’t escalate, and most importantly, everything would remain below the surface, avoiding any suspicion of kidnapping and extortion, which is an even more severe crime than theft or even robbery!

"Really? If I step out the front door and you release him afterward, I can still find him. But if I leave and you close the door, should I just wait outside?"

Li Yan pondered: If they fear the police, they should completely deny any knowledge of it. They could just release Huang Feng and let him testify against them; could there be an even more severe secret hidden here than kidnapping and extortion? Are they just trying to cover it up, sending me away, and then maybe use threats against Huang Feng to keep him quiet?

What could be worse than kidnapping and extortion?

With this association, Li Yan vaguely understood the situation.

"What do you want? We’ve already told you, he’s gone, we’re just friends playing, there’s nothing about releasing someone. You barged in here, pointing fingers, what do you want? A fight?!" said the one who had been speaking intensely to Li Yan.

"Why did the monkey let him in so easily? Why hasn’t he come up yet?" Someone else murmured, then glanced around and headed downstairs, leaving four people to continue the standoff.

"Let’s not dance around the issue, I’m not a cop. I have some idea of what’s going on here. Did Huang Feng offend you because you wanted him to carry goods? Now he’s refusing, so you’re threatening his family, or maybe using him to coerce his sister into smuggling the goods?" Li Yan said coldly.

"Nonsense! Carry... carry what goods!" The one who had been speaking intensely was surprised and slightly panicked.

In a prosperous metropolis, there’s an unavoidable dark side involving gambling, drugs, and the like. Drugs, in particular, are something only those with money can afford. Small cities might not have a dedicated police department for drugs, or there’s a minimal staff; however, on Cloud Island, there’s an important department for drug investigations.

Due to the significant efforts of the Cloud Island police, customs, and other departments in cracking down on drugs, with patrol officers covering every area and corner, along with surveillance equipment and ID checks, the cost of drug-related crimes is high and hard to completely hide. Importing from overseas isn’t cheap either. Hence, some drug traffickers manufacture drugs in less stringently regulated inner regions with high populations and then transport them to Cloud Island for huge profits.

Even entering Cloud Island from Shenya, despite the vast daily influx of people and only probabilistic customs checks, there’s still considerable risk. Similar to groups engaged in smuggling luxury items across regions, drug traffickers often prefer using human carriers—concealing drugs on a person to pass through checkpoints, then having someone meet them at a specified location to receive the goods.

Compared to smuggling medicines, supplements, watches, jewelry, digital products, etc., drugs are smaller in quantity but much more profitable and easier to conceal. However, everyone knows the grave consequences tied to drugs. Smuggling might not cause severe repercussions due to small quantities, but drugs are measured in grams and smuggling convictions can easily spiral into severe charges of manufacturing or trafficking drugs. This entails significant psychological pressure, and it makes it far easier to be detected by customs inspectors with keen eyes.

That’s precisely why there are many people smuggling goods, aside from helping relatives and friends; those who professionally carry goods are a massive army, playing hide and seek with customs every day. But there are relatively few people smuggling drugs, thus finding someone with the right mental fortitude and suitability to carry drugs isn’t easy either.

Chapter 302 Cargo Transport

"I don’t know what you’re talking about; we’re not familiar with you, please leave!" The person who had started smiling now had a completely stern face.

Their reactions confirmed Li Yan’s suspicions. He couldn’t help but frown, realizing that Huang Feng had found himself aboard such a pirate ship. This path could lead to very severe consequences; no matter how promising the benefits seemed, it was not something to embark upon!